Heart Of Flames
by Rocket Ice
Summary: Follow on Akemi Tanakana's mission to Mahora Academy. Yeah, I suck at summaries. Chapter number 2 is up.
1. Prolouge

Heart of Flames

_The Story of Akemi Tanakana_

She walked down the dark and empty hallway, completely alone. Flames appeared in her mind and she stopped, frozen in space. Suddenly, she snapped out of it, remembering where she was and who she was going to.

She began to run down the dimly lit hallways, turning every so often. The building was built to be a maze after all. Even for someone who had been there for so long got lost most of the time.

Akemi Tanakana was her name. Her long brown hair flew behind her, the low ponytail unraveling. Her deep green eyes blinked often, to make sure she was going down the right stairs and hallways. Often, in this place, you could not trust your eyes, only your deep inner senses. But, like the rest of Akemi, was nothing to be too excited about.

For one, she didn't use magic. It wasn't that she couldn't, she didn't know how. It wasn't like _he _would teach her.

She only used catalysts, things that created weak versions of spells. She mainly had explosions, as they were cheap for many of them.

In fact, if that man had not killed her parents, she would have most likely gone her entire life without ever thinking or believing in magic. She would have stayed normal her entire life, going higher and higher.

But he did kill them.

Akemi's parents were politicians. And, as like everyone else in the government, they had political enemies. One of them could use a little magic and decided to scare them. He set the house on fire, expecting they would come out alive.

They never did. Akemi was the only one that survived, and just barely. She woke up in a hospital, and she was about to go to an orphanage. She lived blankly there, not ever talking, only eating something every now and again. Eventually, someone came and decided to adopt her. They decided to let Akemi talk privately at first to see if he was a good fit for her. The strange man told Akemi she could avenge her parents.

She agreed almost immediately and they left. Akemi killed her parent's murder easily, like he gave no fight at all.

Akemi, now convinced her job with the man was done, decided to leave. She paid no attention to the fact her boss was sitting watching her with his eyes open.

"Akemi, dear, where are you going?" the boss Kabayama asked, with an untrustworthy smile.

"Just leaving Kabayama-sama," she explained walking into his dark and crowed office.

"Who gave you permission to leave Akemi?"

"Eh?"

"I asked who gave you the permission to leave?" repeated.

"Um, no one. I assumed since the job was-"

"YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE!" Kabayama yelled.

Akemi froze, her eyes widening. She had never seen him lose his temper before.

"You have only completed one mission. You are only to stop working for me when you die. I don't think you're dead yet, eh Akemi?" he told her, his eyes barring into her.

Akemi couldn't handle it anymore. She spun on her heel and collided into a wall. Not seeing a door, Akemi through an explosion catalyst at it and ran through the wall.

She didn't make it very far until two cold metal hands grabbed her and pulled her right in front of Kabayama,

"That is, unless you want to die," he said, putting a finger on a red jewel on his right hand. He became lost in deep concentration.

At first, it was only a small shock. Then a bolt of lighting tore through Akemi, filling her body with pain. She fell to the ground, wanting it to be finally over.

Eventually, right before she lost conscious, it stopped. Akemi tried to look up as Kabayama moved towards her, but found she couldn't move at all.

"So, have we changed our minds about leaving?"

Needless to stay, she stayed and gave five years of her live to completing missions at what ever he told her to do.

She finally made it to the hallway in front of Kabayama's office. Akemi opened the door and sat down in a chair made completely out of steel. She then asked him, "What do I have to do this time?"

"Being awfully assertive today, aren't we Akemi? Very well then, read the packet," he said, throwing a manila folder over-filled at her.

She opened it and read the general description. "Ehh? I have to go to Japan and observe on some ten-year-old mage and all of his partners?"

"Why? Do you not like it?" he asked flashing the untrustworthy smile.

"Oh, no, thank you," she said bowing. She grabbed the packet and her bag and ran out the back door into the car waiting for her to drive her to her new home and mission: Mahora Academy.


	2. First Impressions

**Disclaimer: I do not own Negima (though I wish I did). I only own Akemi and Kabayama.**

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**Heart of Flames:**

_Chapter 2: First Impressions_

_Negi Springfield glanced around him. It was dark, but he could make out snow. The ten-year-old mage though he was in a dream, for he wasn't cold._

"_Negi-kun…." An empty voice called from deep within his mind._

_Negi looked around him, searching for the voice in his dream world. He barely made out a figure in front of him. "Who… are you?" he asked, hesitantly taking a step forward._

"_Ne-Negi-kun!" the girl yelled again completely disappearing into the darkness, her green tear-filed eyes vanishing with her._

"Ah!" Negi Springfield yelled jumping off his bed. He landed on his head, falling back onto the ground. "Ah…" he repeated, trying to remember what the girl in his bizarre dream had looked like.

"Oi, Negi," the mage's roommate Kagurazaka Asuna said. "I was just about to wake you up. You're late for Ku-chan's morning practice."

"Eehhh??" he yelled jumping off the floor. Practically diving into his clothing drawer, Asuna continued. "I'll go with you. It's on the way to the newspaper place anyways."

"Oh, um, thanks Asuna-san," the mage blushed. Negi looked around to find they were alone in the apartment. "Do you happen to know where Konoka-san is?"

"Konoka told me that the headmaster needed her for something. So, she left already with Setsuna-san."

"Oh, thanks." He jumped down from his "loft". Springfield landed on his feet perfectly; he started for the door, bells twinkling behind him.

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Akemi had finally arrived at Mahora Academy. The car ride had consisted of five hours straight with no stops for food, rest, or most importantly, bathroom. All she had done for the overnight car ride was study, study, and study some more of the mysterious Negi Springfield and his class 3-A. Akemi felt like she knew them so well that she was all their best friends.

Since she had just arrived, Akemi grabbed the manila folder and shuffled the papers until she found the map of Mahora. It was oddly big. Glancing around her, her eyes fell upon the famous World Tree. _It really is huge,_ Akemi thought to herself.

Kabayama had told her to change her look, in case someone she once knew was at the school. Akemi was feeling lazy, so she decided to just cut her hair since it was so unruly. Even before that, she had looked so plain, Akemi knew no one would think she was any different than any of the other students in her class. She reflected a moment on the vampire, robot, ninja, ghost, and mages in 3-A. _Maybe no different than anyone in 3-B._

Akemi glanced blankly down to the map again. Feeling a little bored, she pulled out her note to the dean of Mahora. She was supposed to go to his office at 7, which was two hours from then.

She picked up the map again. The brunette became dizzy just looking at it all. _Maybe I should go look around_. Akemi stood up, putting her manila folder in a black book bag, she started off in a run into the early-morning fog.

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Negi took deep breaths. Standing up, he asked his master a question. "W-why are you training hard than usual?" It wasn't that Ku Fei didn't ever train him hard; it just had felt worse than usual.

"To prepare you for if anymore people who want to do bad things to Mahora come, aru!" Ku explained to him, referring to the past month's attack by Chao Lingshen.

Her English teacher nodded, understanding. "Being prepared is good," Negi agreed.

His martial arts master glanced at the sun and frowned. "Sorry aru, Negi-bozu, but I have to go study, aru. Trainings done for today!" she exclaimed running off towards the dorms.

Negi Springfield sat down on the steps to the world tree. He just wanted to rest and think for now. _What should I do in class today…?_ But his mind wouldn't stay on class. It drifted to the girl in the dream. _Who was she? I don't think I've ever seen anyone like here at the Academy. Certainly no one in class…_ His thoughts continued to drift like this, thinking about her. Negi became so immersed in his thoughts; he didn't notice her until she was right in front of him.

He glanced up, expecting it to be Asuna, but instead found a girl staring at him. Staring at him with green eyes that looked like they had just been crying.

She tilted her head to the side and simply mumbled, "Negi…kun?"

"Eh? EHHHH??" The young Springfield yelled.

"What's wrong Negi-kun?" Akemi Tanakana asked. She suddenly remembered she had never met her new teacher. _Damn, I've really screwed that up, huh? I'm not supposed to know who he is! Oh, he's probably expecting me to say something else! Say something Akemi!_

"I mean, um, your Negi Springfield-kun from the MahoraFest Martial Arts Tournament, right?"

"Eh? Um, yes. May I ask how you know about that?"

"Hm? It was online. But," Akemi started, stepping up a few steps towards him. "How do you know I wasn't at the Tournament? I heard it was pretty filled."

"Oh, um lucky guess, I guess." He blushed and put his hand behind his head.

_So it did work. That was lucky too._ Akemi walked up the stairs until she was right in front of her new teacher. "So, what's a small kid like you doing out so early in the morning?"

Negi raised an eyebrow hesitantly. "W-why do you want to know that if we don't even know each other?"

Akemi felt her face turn the color of a fire hydrant. "Ah, I'm sorry." She bowed and introduced herself. "I'm Tanakana Akemi. Nice to meet you, Negi-kun." _Wow, Akemi. You're brilliant._

"Ha-ha," Negi laughed, "Its okay Akemi-san."

The girl felt herself laughing too. _Funny, _she thought,_ I didn't know I could laugh._ She looked down at her wrist watch and discovered she had fifteen minutes to run to the dean's office.

"Ah!" she yelled out loud, starting down the steps.

"Eh?? A-akemi-san, where're you going?"

"Sorry Negi-kun!" she yelled, waving behind her, "I have to go!"

He began to wave, but lost that track of thought. _That girl… She was most certainly… she was most certainly-_

"Hey Negi! Negi!" his bell-wearing room yelled, running towards him.

"Eh? Asuna-san?" What is it?" he asked, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Konoka called me and told me that the headmaster needs you!" Asuna explained, breathing heavily.

"When Asuna-san?"

"Now! Now!" she explained waving her arms up and down.

"Oh, thank you!" he jumped up and bowed. Negi ran as fast as he could. Whatever the dean needed him for, it sounded urgent.

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"Well, then Akemi-chan, it appears that everything is set. But may I ask you something?" Konoe Konoemon said, putting the numerous papers away.

"Oh, um, sure."

"Why the sudden transfer to Mahora? It is almost winter, after all."

"Oh, well that is," Akemi said, trying to think of a good enough reason. "My dad just got a new job that requires a lot of traveling. And since my mother's gone, he didn't want me to stay home alone. This place had the best feeling to him and now I am here."

"I see. So, here's your uniform." Konoemon handed Akemi a box. "You can change in Shizuna-sensei's room, three doors down. Come back afterwards."

Akemi felt her cheeks heat up and she grabbed the uniform and sprinted out of the room.

A moment after she had reclosed the door to the nurse's office, her new teacher came sprinting down the hallway and into the room Akemi had just left.

"Ah, Negi-kun, right on time. Thank you." the dean said.

"You're welcome, Headmaster-san. So, what do you need from me?" Negi asked, bowing hello.

"Well, Negi-kun, it would appear your getting a new student."

"What??"

"She will of course, fill Chao's old spot."

"W-what do you mean Headmaster-san?? A n-new student?"

"Indeed, Negi-kun." Konoemon laughed looking at the door. "And here she is now."

"Eh?" Negi Springfield turned to the open door to find a Mahora uniform-clad Akemi Tanakana staring back at him with her deep green eyes.

"EH????"

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**Woohoo! This was a fun chapter to make, as I could finally attempt at some humor!**

**Hydriatus: Thank you for your advice! I will be sure to follow it!**

**Spaz's Eulogy: Thank you too! This one's longer so I hope you like it!**


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